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How to Prevent the Buildup of Lead Sulfate

Lead sulfate builds up on the electrodes of lead-acid acid batteries while the battery discharges. This happens because the flow of electrons between the electrodes takes sulfuric acid out of the electrolyte that the electrodes are immersed in and causes it to bond with the lead in the electrodes. Careful recharging is needed to prevent the lead sulfate from building up and destroying the batteries charge capacity.

Things You'll Need

Lead-acid battery charger

Instructions

- 1
  Prevent the battery from dropping below its minimum safe charge level. Most lead-acid batteries are 12 volt batteries and this kind should not be allowed to drop below 10.5 volts of charge.
- 2
  Recharge the battery immediately after it has discharged. Charging reconverts the lead sulfate into the lead and lead oxide that the electrodes are made from. Failure to do this quickly will allow the lead sulfate deposit to harden into crystals that cannot be reconverted easily.
- 3
  Charge the battery with an extra-powerful charge on every 10th charge to remove leftover deposits. A 12-volt battery can generally be charged at 13.6 volts to do this, however, you should consult the manufacturer's guidelines for the correct voltage to charge your particular battery. Reduce the voltage of the charger to its normal level once the battery reaches 90 percent capacity.
- 4
  Purchase an intelligent battery charger and use this to charge your battery. It will sense the level of charge in the battery and adjust the charge rate accordingly. This will keep the build up of lead sulfate at bay without you needing to worry about altering the charge level.

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